A Breath of Fresh Air
by The Basket Weavers
Summary: Hi there, and welcome, to A Breath of Fresh Air! More details are in the Authors' Notes in the Prologue. NOTE: Rating is Mature just to make sure that events in the story don't get us in a hassle because we went too in-depth during combat and such.
1. Prologue

Prologue: Setting the Stage

* * *

 **Authors' Note: Hello everyone, and welcome to a very special project from us: A Breath of Fresh Air, a reimagining of the events of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky! We wanted to throw our proverbial hats into the ring and make something fun based off of a game series we love, and this is the result! Naturally, this passion project is only based on the core events of Explorers of Sky, so don't expect** _ **everything**_ **to stay the same. Some things may change: pacing, characters, locations, plot elements, and more! After all, what's the fun in simply writing straight novelization? Well, I suppose there is a lot of fun in that also, but I digress. With that in mind, we hope you enjoy our story!**

The pitter-patter of footsteps and the breaking of twigs was the only sound I could hear as I rushed through the cold, dark forest as fast as I could. Desperately searching for my partner, I frantically glanced around the clearing I had just entered. A myriad of thoughts raced through my mind as I searched, " _Did I get lost? Did he get lost? D-did he die? Oh, Gods no!_ " I was freaking out, unsure of so many things and how to respond to them. It was a surprise, then, to hear his voice call out to me from behind.

"Control yourself, Cobalt. I could hear you panicking from afar." It took all my willpower not the shriek out in fear as I turned around. Thankfully, I registered what my friend, a Grovyle, had said as he calmly entered the clearing.

I panted as the adrenaline from the shock raced through me, taking a few deep breaths to calm back down before responding. "Sorry, I don't know where to go, and I thought I lost you back there…"

He approached and patted my shoulder to comfort me. "It's alright, I understand-the forest is unfamiliar to you. We can rest here for a moment, if you wish?"

I nodded. He understood where I was coming from, that helped calm me down. "Y-yeah, thanks. I'm sorry, I know I agreed to this and all, but it's not anything like what I expected. Nothing's working out, and I just feel so useless..." I trailed off. Unsure of what to do, I slid down onto the ground and sighed out a mixture of frustration and desperation.

Grovyle was silent for a moment, as he gazed off deeper into the woods before questioning, "You are comparing your capabilities to that of my own, someone who has lived here for far longer than you have, is that it?" I nodded, he was right. He responded frankly, "It is not a fair comparison to make. You cannot expect to have even come close to mastering your new form in a matter of weeks, Cobalt. This line of thinking will only cause you to spiral into more self loathing, and is already clouding your judgment. We cannot waste time second guessing ourselves."

It was true. He read me like a book. I had nothing to refute his claims with, and hung my head in shame, silently looking down at the ground in front of me as I stewed in my inadequacy as a so-called chosen one. Grovyle noticed this, and put his hand on my shoulder to comfort me. "With that said, do understand that, yes, it may be a long road, but that also means you have a lot of room to grow still left ahead of you."

"What good is that if I end up dying before I get the chance to even use it?" I sulked.

He looked back at me with a determination in his eyes I had never seen before. "We won't be dying anytime soon, Cobalt."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I figured out a way to get out of this mess." He smirked, that was rare.

I looked up at him in shock, "What? How!?" But, as he started to respond, the distant sound of breaking branches and snickering echoed from beyond the trees. Both of us looked to one another, silently communicating that it was in our best interest to leave.

As we raced through the forest, I pressed Grovyle for more details. "So, what is the plan? I thought we'd run out of options already by this point."

He responded rather bluntly. "This isn't an option as much as it is a last resort." Not exactly comforted by this, I looked at him flatly. "We're completely out matched here," he continued. "Our enemies control the territory, and we're constantly on the run, unable to even stop to rest. So, we aren't going to keep fighting here, and instead will put ourselves into a more favorable position. Back in the past, before the planet's paralysis even took place, when we aren't faced with a threat on all sides."

I sputtered, it was a preposterous suggestion! "Dialga's the only one who can do that, and I don't see how we'd get _any_ of the Gods to help us out. Besides, what does that have to do with running into this forest of all places?!" He looked back at me, as we entered a large clearing with a sheer rock face on the other side.

"They won't be the one sending us back in time." Grovyle pointed up to the top of the cliff. A strange, pink light gently fluttered down from the top of the cliff. "She will." As it came down to our level, the light shined brightly, and out of it flew a pink Celebi, who promptly tackle hugged Grovyle as fast as possible, causing him to stumble backward.

"My dearest Grovyle, you came back! I missed you so much!" the Celebi cried out in joy, as she buzzed around Grovyle's head with glee. I blinked at the sight in confusion, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Now is not the time Celebi, you of all Pokémon should understand that!" Grovyle huffed out in annoyance.

"Quit your worrying! I know exactly what you're planning if you came back. I'll have the portal prepared for you right away!", Celebi remarked, fluttering her wings with pride. This whole time, I'd been standing on the sidelines, unsure of what to say or if I should interject, but before I got the chance to, Celebi spoke. "Who's the Riolu, by the way?"

"He's the Champion sent to help us. We've been working together in order to find the locations of the Time Gears for some time now." Grovyle answered.

Celebi gasped. "So you're the human Mew told me about!" She flew over to me and started circling around excitedly. "Are you really from the human world? Do all humans look like Riolu? Nono, that can't be right, Mew changed you, didn't she? It must be weird to be in a different body like that!" she barraged.

"I-I-" I stammered, overloaded with questions. "Uh, w-well you see-"

Grovyle cleared his throat. "You can ask him questions later. We've got to hurry!"

"Right, right, sorry," Celebi apologized, gliding back to where she hovered before. "I'll get right on it!" Celebi fell silent, and closed her eyes as if channeling some inner power.

"So, Celebi is going to take us back to the past?" I whispered, looking to Grovyle for answers.

He glanced around the clearing, seeing if we were still being followed. "Yes, she has the power to travel through time. Far enough to arrive before any of this happened, and give us a chance to actually stop this meaningless conflict!"

My eyes widened, finally understanding the situation at hand. "Oh! So that's why we were being followed in here! But wait, if they know we entered the forest they must know we're scheming something big and have gathered their forces to stop us!"

Grovyle smirked, "You're smart, and so are our enemies. But, they won't expect a Myth to show up on our side. For once, we have the element of surprise!" As if on cue, light started swirling around Celebi, forming numerous large arches above the ground that trailed off towards a large swirling blue mass of light before the cliffside, pulsing with energy.

Celebi exhaled and took a moment to collect herself. "Alright, that'll do it! Now get through there ASAP!"

I raised my fists into the air, ecstatic at a second chance to make things right. "Yes! I can't believe it, we can actually do this!" As I did so, leaves rustled and bright eyes shined through the dark undergrove of the forest behind us. All our head turned to see twinkling gemstones approaching on all sides. "Oh no… the Sableye, they're here!"

Celebi yelled out as she raced forward to meet the oncoming threat. "Get to the portal!"

"But-"

" **Now!** " she barked at me as she charged into the opposing force.

I turned around and ran for my life, seeing Grovyle diving into the portal already. Not looking back, I passed through each arch with determination, not willing to let this final chance slip through my fingers! As I stepped through the light, the last things I could register were the sounds of battle behind us.

* * *

As Cobalt's vision adjusted to the sight in front of him, an endless horizon of brilliant, shining spirals of color reflected in his eyes filled with awe. He hadn't seen such vibrant colors of life and beauty since he came to this world. A pull towards the one he was standing closest to dragged him closer. Grovyle already caught up in the vortex. "Grovyle, no!" he cried, scared that something awful was happening.

"It's alright Cobalt! This is our ticket back to the past!" Grovyle assured him as he slowly swirl inward - completely in awe at the gorgeous sight as well. With his friends words to put him at ease, Cobalt dove in head first with glee, laughing in jubilation.

Grovyle called out to Cobalt, "We're almost there Cobalt, I can see it, the world forming around us!" Sure enough, colors swirled around Cobalt. The smell of nature was all around him, the sounds of life sang, and the soft grass tickled his feet. He smiled wide, the sensations breathing new life into him after the stale, crushing darkness of the future. He opened his mouth, ready to yell out in glee, before Grovyle's eyes went wide with shock and fear as he saw something approach in Cobalt's blindspot. "Cobalt! Look out!" He shouted, scrambling to his feet as he rushed back up as fast as he could manage.

Before Cobalt could even register what he said, a sharp pain lanced through his leg. A set of dark claws, dripping with a black inky substance, tore into his leg. "Ah! Grovyle! S-something's wrong! I'm being pulled away! Help!" He screamed in terror, writhing around in pain and desperation. Grovyle leaped towards him, reaching out his arm as Cobalt tried to do the same, before another set of claws swiped at the grass type, uppercutting him with a loud smack. He careened into the eye of the swirling vortex.

"No!" Cobalt's voice cracked with agony at the sight of his friend fall away, sucked into the past. Cobalt slammed his paws over and over against the cruel force ripping him away from freedom, crying out in fear and pain, but his hits were hardly more than a sting for the beast. They turned him around, and he peered into the bright blue eyes of a figure coated in darkness. With murderous intent, it wrapped its other hand around his abdomen with an extreme amount of force-he could feel his bones bending under the immense pressure. Any more of this, and he'd be eviscerated. He cried out in pain, his whole body feeling as if it was on fire. He was so close, was this really the end?

No, not after everything that he sacrificed to be here. He couldn't let his chance to make a difference in the world and show those around him he was capable go to waste! He screamed in rage, "I… am not done yet!" feeling a great desire to bring karmic justice swell like a raging inferno within his chest. He looked down on this abomination that dared to tear his life away from him in such an inhumane manner. "You will _**not**_ _ **get away with this! YOU**_ _ **MURDERER**_ _ **!**_ " By sheer force of will, Cobalt broke free of the talons with his bare paws. He surged forward and smashed his fists straight into the beast's face over and over with a furious cry.

An ear splitting screech echoed about as it recoiled in pain. Involuntarily, it swatted Cobalt away with a hard blow to the head. He skipped off the spiraling vortex of energy, as he tumbled through the air into a completely different spiral. The last things he could register were an inhuman cry of frustration, the sound of booming thunder, the flash of lightning, and a dull thud as he collided with wet sand, before everything went dark.

 **END PROLOGUE**


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: Those in Need

* * *

Sunset. A lone Vulpix paced nervously atop a hill before a large tent in the shape of a Wigglytuff. "There's no reason they'd turn you down, Violet. You have nothing to worry about," the small fox murmured, running through the thoughts in her head. She eyed a wooden grate resting before the tent warily. She closed her eyes, trying to psyche herself up. "You've practiced more, it'll be fine. It won't be like last time, you're more than qualified, there's no need to panic." She took a step forward, but her paws felt heavy, as if her body didn't want to do it. "You won't fail," she chanted over and over to herself, trying to work up the courage to step forward.

"Excuse me!" piped up a Diglett, popping out of the ground next to the grate. Violet leapt back in surprise. "Are you coming in or not? I can't really open the door until you step on the grate…"

Violet's eyes darted around, unsure of what to say. "Uh, n-no, no, sorry, just, uhh…" she stammered. "J-just a bit lost, th-that's all, s-sorry!" she hollered, running down the hill as the Diglett watched in confusion before going back underground.

The Vulpix stopped at the bottom of the stairs to catch her breath. She felt embarrassed and her worries were only exaggerated further. She sulked away, feeling as if she lost her chance.

The sound of crashing waves informed her that she had arrived at the beach not too far from town. She felt the sun-warmed sand beneath her paws and listened to the rhythm of the waves, as they softly crashed against the shore. She slowed to a halt and took a deep breath, quietly berating herself. "...What's wrong with me? Why can't I just stand on a stupid grate!" She kicked a rock near her foot, fueled with self-deprecating thoughts. "M-Maybe I'm just… not cut out for it," the Vulpix sniffled. "Don't… don't you cry over this." She closed her eyes, taking in a few deep breaths.

Her eyes opened out to the sprawling sea, feeling a sense of longing for its wide open expanse and the unknown extents of its reach. Many, many bubbles were blown about in the warm, sea breeze. They hovered gently in the air, carried along as the local Krabby population blew them idly as they relaxed at the end of the day. The sun had begun to set on the horizon, dyeing the water a warm orange—the color of fire. The motion of the sea caused it to flicker with life and passion. It reminded the young fox of her own ideals, and recentered her focus back to reality. She breathed calmly; her mind was now at ease.

Before her eyes, a part of the sandy beach rose up into the air. She got on her haunches and jumped back instinctually, taken by surprise. A Riolu had just come out from under the sand! "Urgh," he groaned, "What the hell just happened?" Sand poured off of him as if he had been lying there for hours. He nursed his forehead, the rock from earlier lying beside him.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you!" the Vulpix shouted, running over to his side. "I didn't know you were-" she froze. He was badly injured, sand clumped to wounds on his legs and torso, dried there as it mixed with blood. "Are you alright!? What happened to you?"

The Riolu stopped suddenly. Slowly, he looked up at the Vulpix in front of him, a look of disbelief on his face. He stumbled forward in shock, completely unsure of how to react.

"Hello? I said, are you alright? Can you hear me?" Violet continued.

"W-what the hell?!" the Riolu cried, falling over backward in surprise, scrambling away from the Vulpix before him. "D-did you just talk?!"

Violet scoffed in disbelief, "...Yes…? I didn't think I kicked the rock _that_ hard…"

The Riolu held his paws up to his head, before shrieking loudly. He scrambled to the water, and looked at his reflection in the waves, completely flabbergasted. "What in the world is going on?!"

"...Um… Can I take you to a doctor…?" Violet asked, trailing off in immense confusion.

"D-did you do this to me? I didn't even step on one of your tails, why would you curse me?!" The Riolu exclaimed.

"No! I didn't curse you! I was frustrated and kicked that rock off to the side, that's all that happened!"

"What!? Why would you hit me like that?!"

"I didn't _see_ you! You were fucking sand!" Violet huffed.

"That answers nothing!" the Riolu shouted back, in a large state of distress. "How did I end up like this," he shouted, before he grit his teeth and took in a sharp breath. The initial shock had worn off, leaving him in a considerable amount of pain. He tilted his head back in the sand and groaned in pain.

"Uh… here, let me see what I can do." Violet put her bag down, scooping a few seeds out to the side to dig further in. "This should help." She gently picked up two yellow berries, with orange speckles, in her teeth and set them down beside the stranger. "Eat these. They'll dull the pain."

"I don't see how this is supposed to-"

"Just eat them already!" Violet snapped, "I'm trying to do you a favor here!"

The Riolu sniffed at the offering hesitantly. His stomach then growled, which happened to quickly sway his opinion on the matter. He took a small nibble out of one, and, after determining that it tasted good, ravenously ate them both. He sighed in satisfaction, and his discomfort was made bearable.

"Okay, let's start over." She offered, extending a paw out. "My name is Violet."

"I don't know my name." he responded bluntly.

"Excuse me, what?" Violet inquired.

"I can't… I can't remember anything." the stranger murmured to himself.

"Uh-huh, riiight… " Violet rolled her eyes and put her paw back down on the ground.

"I'm not lying! I'm being serious! I don't remember anything else…" The Riolu off looked inland, towards the dark blue horizon. He narrowed his eyes, feeling a sense of familiarity to the view. Suddenly, he felt as if a small light was turned on inside his mind. "C-Cobalt." he whispered.

"What? I didn't catch that." Violet tilted her head to listen to him.

"Call me Cobalt." he repeated.

"You remembered your name now?" she eyed him doubtfully.

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, I did."

"Awfully convenient, no?" she responded with an air of cynicism.

"Look, it is what it is. Believe me or not, I don't know what to tell you! I just woke up here, covered in sand, and hungry as hell," he snapped. His stomach's growling turned his attention to the seeds scattered about on the ground. "Speaking of which, can I have those?"

"I'd advise that you don't, they aren't exactly… healthy." Violet stated.

"Listen, food's food. I don't care, I'll eat anything." Cobalt asserted.

"You could blow up."

"Like… explode?" he looked at her incredulously, sure that she must be joking. She slowly nodded her head at him, her eyes were dead serious. She wasn't lying-he would actually blow up. He then, not surprisingly, scooted away from them. "Nevermind. I'm good."

"I figured." she quipped, stuffing the littered goods back into her bag. "Now, clean yourself up. I'd like to interrogate you for more answers."

"Oh gee, how inviting," he deadpanned, "Will there at least be food?"

"Yes yes, I'll get you something to eat. Now come on, I'd like to get there sometime today."

Cobalt rose to his feet, picking the bits and pieces of dried blood and sand off his fur. "I'm surprised that actually worked."

"Well of course it worked, Sitrus berries are-" A sudden gust of wind cut Violet off, and blew both of them up off their feet with shocked screams. They tumbled through the sand, and looked around wildly to see what the cause could have been.

A Zubat perched on Violet's bag, peering into it's contents. "She's got some goodies alright!" He hollered, before flapping his wings and taking off with the bag in tow.

"Hey! Get the fuck back here!" Violet shouted, racing forward to grab it back. She opened her mouth, preparing to send a blast of fire straight towards the Zubat, but a Koffing slammed into her side, knocking her into the sand face first. She was gasping for breath-the wind was knocked out of her.

"You'll stay there if you know what's good for you." the Koffing threatened, taking a deep breath in. If either of them moved, they would be shrouded in a poisonous fog in an instant. They sat there, unable to do anything, as the two thieves ran off into the cave.

"Violet, are you alright?" Cobalt panicked, racing over to check up on her.

"M-my bag… " she choked out, still recuperating. "A-all my stuff is in there."

Cobalt silently cursed to himself, looking between her and the cave. "Uhh… I'll help you get it back!"

"It's… dangerous. We'll never find them in there." she responded slowly, regaining her composure.

"It's just a stupid cave! Come on, Violet, don't be so scared!" he batted the air with his paws, acting as if she was making a big deal out of nothing. Inwardly, he felt responsible for the crime in some way. If she had maybe had her bag on her, she could have held onto it and fought them off. It was his fault for the theft, and he had to make it up to her. "Come on, you're wasting time!" he raced into the cavern, filled with determination to make things right.

"Wait! Cobalt, no! It's a Mystery Dunge-" but by the time she had even got to her feet, the Riolu had jumped headfirst into danger. She pressed her lips together in frustration, "Ooh, today just keeps getting worse." She looked towards the cave opening. There was so many unknown factors that could come into play, which made her nervous. No matter how much of an idiot Cobalt was for trying to rush into a Mystery Dungeon without a plan, he did it to help her. She steeled her resolve, and marched forward towards the cave with determination. It was time to take a risk, and she wouldn't let her own fears get in the way this time. She jumped into the dark expanse, hoping to be ready to take on whatever came her way.

 **END CHAPTER ONE**


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Minor Tests of Strength

* * *

The sunlight quickly faded as Cobalt stepped into the cave. Immediately, he felt like something was… off. He turned around, only to find the entrance had disappeared, replaced with a solid wall. Before he had time to wonder what was going on, however, he heard the sounds of something scuttling behind him. He turned to see a Clauncher and a Staryu, staring him down from the opposite side of the room, a passageway past them.

 _...Okay, Cobalt. Calm down. I'm sure they're not-_ But before he could finish his thought, two jets of water slammed into him, shoving him back into the wall face first. "Augh, what the hell?!" he exclaimed, "I'm gonna get you for that!" While sliding down onto the ground, his Aura Sensors rose, and a chill went down his spine. _W-what's happening, I feel like...something's coming!_

He rolled to the side instinctively, narrowly dodging a large blast of pressurized water from the Clauncher. Cobalt flipped around and dashed forward as it readjusted its aim, sliding under a large object hurtling towards him. The Staryu flew past, landing near the corner of the room as the Clauncher fired at where he was only a second prior. With the Staryu at the other end of the room, and the Clauncher within striking range, Cobalt slammed into the crustacean with a one-two punch combo, straight to the carapace protecting its face. The pistol shrimp stumbled away from Cobalt, the force of the blows leaving it dazed and confused.

"Hey, wait up, Cobalt!"

 _Violet!_ His Aura Sensors fell to the sides of his face as his adrenaline rush faded. He turned to face his new acquaintance. "There you are! I was wonde-" A blast of psychic energy sent him skidding backwards, he crouched down and held his head in pain.

"Cobalt!" Violet called out, before turning to the Staryu and growling threateningly. She crouched down, putting her weight on her haunches, and took deep breath before leaping up over Cobalt. Hot flames flew across the ground towards the Staryu, forcing it to back off. "I'll take care of this one, go take out the other!" she yowled, weaving around blasts of water from her opponent.

"On it!" Cobalt shouted. He shook his head to regain his senses. He turned towards the Clauncher, who had finished recovering from before. Bubbles flew past Cobalt's face in a straight line before exploding upon contact with the wall behind him. The Clauncher swung its massive claw in a large, sweeping arc, and a wave of bubbles hung in the air.

Cobalt grimaced. He had to bite the bullet and waste time with the wall. He surged forward and prepared to push his way through with brute force. However, Staryu was sent careening through the giant bubble field blocking the way as Violet gave chase. He skidded to a stop, narrowly avoiding a collision with his ally. "Watch it!" he hissed, although Violet paid him no mind. He stormed forward after she passed, rushing to get a hit in before the shrimp could attack once more. He was met by a thin stream of highly pressurized water from point blank range.

Cobalt reacted with speed, moving his left leg behind his right and throwing his left arm off to the side to side-step the attack. But, being at such a close range, the edge of it sliced into his side, leaving a thin, long gash in its place. The Clauncher looked to confirm its kill, but found the Riolu staring down at him from above. His eyes were wide in pain, his fists were shaking in anger.

With a primal shout, Cobalt arched his back, raising his left arm up into the air behind his head, and twisted around to wind up his counterattack. He forced all of his weight into his right foot, twisting his torso back around, his muscles releasing all of the pent up energy into this single, solitary blow. With a loud, reverberating crack, his fist crashed into the Clauncher with the speed of a bullet. Cobalt followed through completely, smashing the crustacean down into the sandy floor. The shellfish was splayed out flat against the ground, unconscious, with the frontal half of its carapace seriously damaged. The Riolu's legs wavered, nevertheless, he stood proud and victorious over his opponent.

Violet squared off with her own opponent. A glowing, pulsing orb of light formed in front of her. She leapt to the side of Staryu as it recoiled in pain, losing sight of the fox. It blindly fired off a stream of star shaped projectiles to shatter the distraction, unaware of the real danger right beside it.

A torrent of flames shot the starfish violently through the air, sending it crashing through the wall of bubbles right as Cobalt was moving towards it. Violet wasted no time thinking about him; there were more pressing matters to attend to. She rapidly gave chase. However, a blinding wave of sand was kicked up into her eyes. Involuntarily, she yelped out in pain and fear. She stumbled backward, unsure of what to do. Stars slammed into her flank, and sent her tumbling through the sand. Violet groaned in annoyance, rising to her paws and hissing angrily. Flames spewed forth from her mouth, intercepted by water. The resulting collision sent steam and boiling water up into the air, creating a smokescreen that clouded Staryu's vision.

Water flew past Violet's ear as she slinked to the side, rubbing the sand out of her eyes. It must be getting antsy to finish her off, but that same impatience gave Violet a moment to restore her vision. She got a running start, and vaulted up into the air, twisting around to land straight on the Staryu's back, biting hard. Fire was sent straight into it at point blank range until it gave up the fight and fell unconscious.

"H-haha! Yes! I-I did it!" Violet shouted, trotting around with pride. "Cobalt, I-" Violet's breath was cut short. Cobalt was bleeding heavily from a cut on the side of his abdomen. "Cobalt! Are you okay? You're bleeding!" she wailed, rushing over to make sure he wasn't grievously injured.

"I-I'm okay, Violet, really," Cobalt stammered.

Violet inspected his wound, praying that it was not serious. His nervous breathing told her that he was silently hoping as well. After a few moments she silently praised Arceus—he was going to be alright, the wound was shallow. It would heal quickly. "Stay still Cobalt. Take a moment to calm down and rest," Violet insisted.

"B-but the bag..." he mumbled, backing into the wall for support.

"I said take it easy, Cobalt," Violet restated firmly. She slowly sitting him down on the floor. "You were already knocked out for Mew's sake." Violet gently sat him down, leaning him against the wall for support.

"B-but-" He tried to rise to his feet, but Violet hissed at him in frustration.

"Wait five minutes, dammit!" Violet snarled, "You are in _**no**_ condition to argue with me. Take a moment to think before you start running off again like an idiot!"

Cobalt stammered, before abruptly cutting himself off and staring down at the ground. "...I'm just trying to help," he murmured up at her, looking back down at the ground dejectedly. His ears drooped in sadness. "I'm sorry…"

"Your help won't do any good if you end up dead. I'd rather not have that on my conscience," Violet responded in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. Cobalt's ears lay flat against his head as he sat in silence, unable to respond. Violet looked at his regret filled face and sighed, realizing she may have been too blunt. "I'm sorry, that was harsh of me to say. I really appreciate the gesture, but… don't go running off like that again. Okay? Just… promise me you'll be careful?"

Cobalt sighed, before nodding his head. "Yeah, I get it. I'll try my best."

"Thank you," she exhaled. "Can you walk?"

Cobalt stood up, and took a breath in through his teeth. He held a paw over the wound in his side as best he could. "Y-yeah, I can…"

Violet beckoned him over, heading deeper into the cave herself. "Here, I'll explain some stuff on the way."

* * *

Cobalt listened to the Vulpix explain the bizarre properties of the cave as they made their way towards the deeper, lower parts of it's interior. "So, this whole place is just a weird distortion in space-time?" Cobalt inquired, still not quite having grasped it fully. The gash had finally stopped bleeding, though he walked stiffly as they padded down the sloped floor.

"Yeah, basically," Violet confirmed, "Mystery Dungeons always shift around from one visit to the next. As a result, many Pokémon have ended up lost in these halls without a means of escape."

"Yeah, it certainly sounds crazy to have amnesia when shit like this happens," he stated crossly.

"Well _that's_ not normal around here, this is," Violet flicked her tails irritably, "Can we just let that go and focus on what's important?"

"Alright, alright," Cobalt relented, "Those two got lost and ended up like that?"

"Yep," Violet nodded her head, "Those two must have found themselves lost here and have fallen prey to the Dungeon." Cobalt raised an eyebrow, unsure of what exactly she meant. Violet took that as her cue to continue. "The Dungeon warps everything inside it. Bizarre phenomena can occur as a result. Hurricanes in calm waters, pitfalls in giant chasms. Those are all physical distortions as a result of the Dungeon. But, that's not all that can change. Even the inhabitants of a Dungeon can become warped by it. And, if you spend too long in one, you are reverted into a primal state, unable to think or act in complex or rational ways."

" _ **WHAT?!**_ " Cobalt shouted. "A-Am I going to be okay?!" He looked down at himself in worry, panicking heavily.

"Calm down, you're going to let the thieves know we're here!" Violet snapped back at him. Cobalt closed his mouth quickly, though his fear was still palpable in the air. After listening for any noises, Violet deemed it safe to continue talking at a low volume. "It takes _far_ longer for _that_ to happen. You'll be alright." Cobalt put his left paw over his heart and sighed in relief.

After some time the two entered a split in the path, unsure of where to go next. Cobalt listened carefully for noises. Fluttering wings, rustling cloth, and puffs of smoke could all be heard off to the right, towards what looked to be the deepest part of the cave. Violet sensed it too, and the two stalked their way over to the next room.

Violet peered her head around the corner. The two thieves were rummaging through her stuff, sorting through her seeds and food and shoving the food into their mouths as they worked. Her fur bristled in anger. They were eating her stuff, acting like it was theirs. Cobalt looked as well, and responded accordingly. No words needed to be said; even with their differences, they both knew what the other was thinking. They would stop the thieves here, and do so quickly and efficiently.

The Koffing and Zubat, unaware of the two, continued their miniature feast. Before suddenly, in the corner of their eyes, a bright orange flash raced towards them. "Awk! The Vulpix!" Zubat cried and flapped wings rapidly to back away from the approaching fire, sending uneaten berries rolling across the ground. The Koffing, was unable to move out of the way in time and took the whole blast head on. It flew across the room, slamming into the back wall with a heavy wheeze.

Zubat let loose an ear splitting screech as he dived towards Violet, causing her to lose focus and cringe in pain. He bared its fangs, ready to strike. However, before Zubat could score a hit, Cobalt had already sprinted across the room, Zubat squarely in his sights. He smashed his foot into the ground, rocketing up into the air towards his target. Then, he shoved his knee deep into the Zubat's soft belly, transferring all of his momentum into the bat as it let out a squeak of pain. The impact sent him crashing into the adjacent wall with a loud and hearty smack. He tumbled down, rendered instantly unconscious upon impact.

"Ugh, thanks Cobalt…" Violet moaned, shaking her head. She gently rubbed a forepaw into her forehead to alleviate the pain.

Cobalt skid to a stop on the sandy floor, almost losing his footing, before turning to respond. But suddenly, he stopped. A familiar chill lanced through his spine, his danger-sense tingling. He quickly dove off the side, rolling out of the way of a barrage of gunk pellets. "Violet! Look out!" he shouted, trying to warn her before it was too late. She was not focused on her surroundings, as she shrugged off the effects of the Zubat's cry. The globs of waste collided into her side, sending her flying back out of the room with a loud grunt of pain. Cobalt called out to her, running to help her, before a sinister laugh echoed out from behind him.

"Not so fast, Riolu!" the Koffing chortled, rising back up into the air. "You have more pressing matters to deal with right now!"

Cobalt snarled angrily at the toxic ball, his fur bristling as he squared off with his opponent. He glanced back at Violet. She was growling in frustration, trying to get unstuck. All of the slime was pinning her against the wall. She was safe for now, but he couldn't run into the narrow hallway to help her with the Koffing still in play. He needed to give her time to get out, and he had to take care of the threat and get that bag back. He stepped forward, the Koffing's malicious smile growing larger, before he hesitated. He couldn't help but think back to the earlier conversation he had with Violet, stressing out as he slowly shuffled around the room, keeping his eyes on the ball. But before he could continue planning, a large wave of slime pellets flew through the air towards Cobalt. He slid under the attack, scrambling back to his feet quickly. The Koffing laughed, clearly toying with the Riolu—it didn't register him as a threat. Cobalt backed up, out of options, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a half-decent plan. Suddenly, a squishing noise came from under his foot. He quickly checked, fearing he had stepped in the gunky residue and was stuck. But, to his embarrassment, he had merely stepped in a runaway berry by accident. Koffing laughed wildly, amused by this. "Watch your footing! You'll just make this easier for me!" Cobalt huffed with annoyance and kicked it off to the side, sending it splattering it against the wall. After seeing that, his eyes widened before shifting his focus back on Koffing.

Cobalt slowly shuffled around the room, the Koffing keeping his eye on him as he did so. He nonchalantly moved right next to another berry and sent it flying towards the Koffing, sending the mushy remains straight into Koffing's eyes. Rushing, he performed a one handed cartwheel, and picked up the bag in the middle of the room with his free hand. He hissed in pain, reopening his wound from before. A gunk shot ruffled his fur as it zoomed by—missing its mark. Cobalt prayed to Arceus, grabbed a few seeds in his paws and quickly threw the bag to the side. He wound up his fist back behind his head, instinctively entering a pitcher's stance. Finally, with all his might, he flung the seeds with a full body throw, and they tore through the space between them. Upon contact, a loud explosion shook Cobalt to his core, the shockwave sending him flying backward. The cave rumbled violently from the force of the blast. Sand kicked up by the shockwave fell back down after a few moments. Smoke hung in the air between them. Even Violet was affected, being dislodged from the gunk by the vibrations of the cave.

Cobalt landed on the floor and panted heavily, the tension of the moment keeping him on edge. After a few moments, he realized that neither of his opponents were going to be getting up anytime soon. He stood and dusted himself off. Violet had freed herself, and was padding her way towards him. As she put the bag on, she sighed audibly in relief. "Come on, I think you promised me some answers and I promised you some food."

"Yes please, that would be great," he remarked, stomach growling. With that, the two set off to find the exit, in high spirits at a job well done, and eager to get some rest.

 **END CHAPTER TWO**


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: A Damn Good Deal

* * *

Cobalt's fur was ruffled by the cool, sea breeze. The pain in his side had died down, and he was able to freely enjoy the quiet night. He slowly padded along the tranquil beach behind Violet—waves ebbing and flowing against the shore rhythmically. He looked out to sea, gazing up at the full moon and stars twinkling above. " _It's quite a beautiful sight_ ," Cobalt smiled to himself, a sense of scale and beauty coming over him. However as he took in the gorgeous view, he realized something. None of this was familiar. The night sky was incomprehensible, as if he had never seen it before in his life. He couldn't make out any constellations, even they even _had_ constellations here. Even the patterns of the moon's landscape were unfamiliar to him. He couldn't help but stress over these details. His mind was jogged by the color of the night sky—the similarity between his name and the colors giving him something to work off of at least. But this was different—it was completely foreign to him. Was this a byproduct of his amnesia? No, there was something wrong here. His mind was racing with questions, but also found itself unable to find any answers. Why was he feeling this way? Why was it that—when he looked at his reflection—he felt that something was not quite right on a fundamental level?

"Cobalt, where are you going? Food is this way." Violet's voice snapped him out of his stupor. He heard the scrunches of wet sand under his paws as the waves lapped at his legs. He had wandered into the reef and hadn't even noticed it. "I know you're tired after those fights, do try to keep up." She mewed, before heading off the beach and up a sandy dirt path.

"I was looking out at the sea, it's quite nice." he explained.

"Eh, not nearly as full of life as it was this evening." Violet remarked, not bothering to take in the view.

"I like it. It's quiet." he responded earnestly.

"To each their own. Now come on, let's get some food already. You can enjoy that on your own time." Violet continued up the path.

"How are we going to find somewhere to eat?" Cobalt questioned, running up beside her as they made their way out of the sand. "It's pretty late. Will anything be open?"

"I know a place that'll let us in."

"How convenient." Cobalt deadpanned, before chuckling to himself. "But I'm not gonna complain about a good meal."

A small breath of amusement left Violet as the two continued up the path towards a lone building overlooking the beach from above a small hill. "Yeah, I figured. Now come on, we're almost there!" Violet exclaimed, sprinting off.

"Hey, don't start without me!" Cobalt exclaimed, racing after her, eager to get something to eat.

Violet hurried across the way to a small, rustic looking shack. It's was still lit up, but she knew that wouldn't be the case for much longer. She hurried up the steps and hopped up, planting her front paws on the door. "Tips? It's me! I'm back!" Violet called out, trying to look through the glass to see where her friend was. "Tiiips!"

Cobalt caught up a few moments later. "Violet, you're going to wake everyone up! I told you, they're definitely closed."

"Nah, Tips is always willing to help a friend ou-" But before Violet could finish, the front door swung open and knocked her over onto her side. "Waah—Oof!" She grunted upon impact.

"Oh! Sorry, dearie! I didn't see you there!" A wobbly voice came from behind the door, belonging to a Spinda. She could barely keep herself upright, and was stumbling back and forth. "I was just closing up shop. It's a bit late to have a visit, don't you think?"

"I was wondering if you were able to fit one—er—two customers in before the night is over?" Violet asked, rolling onto her stomach and rising to her paws once more. Cobalt waved back, still taken aback by what had just happened.

Tips hobbled forward, sidestepping Violet, and accidentally bumped into Cobalt, who caught her in his arms before she sent them both crashing down the stairs. "Oh! A Riolu? How cute! I'm glad you're making friends dearie!" she cheered, as Cobalt helped her back upright. Her head leaned back and before she knew it she was rapidly backpedaling into the café, rolling over onto the floor inside the restaurant. "Come in! Tell me more!"

"Don't worry about it, Cobalt; she's survived a _lot_ worse." Violet assured, slinking into the building as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"I guess…" Cobalt mused, closing the door behind him.

The small café was quaint and charming, though most objects looked as if they had been broken at least once or twice. Dimly, lanterns lined the wall shined down from above, placed there to keep them safe from Tips's wanton destruction. Couches, chairs and tables filled up the room, with a counter and kitchen door off to the side. A small spiral staircase was tucked away in the corner of the establishment, presumably leading to her residence.

Tips picked herself up off the floor, her two guests sitting down at the counter. "Hang tight, dearies, let me fashion up some food for you~ " she hummed, stumbling over to the kitchen.

Cobalt rapped his fingers against the counter and smacked his lips with a silent, " _What the fuck was that?_ " look on his face.

Violet pulled up a chair. "She's fine, trust me."

"...Uh-huh…"

"Give her some credit, she's actually managed to not break _anything_ for a whole hour. That's a lot of time for any Spinda," Violet snickered. Cobalt couldn't help but snort in response to seeing the clumsy acrobatics of the small panda.

"I heard that Violet!" Tips snapped from the other side of the doors, causing the fox to wheeze with laughter at her response. "Do you know what it's like to not have a sense of balance?"

"I know, I know. I'm just teasing is all," Violet called back.

"Yeah, well don't make me spit in your food!" her friend exclaimed, the sound of pots clattering and shattered glass came from the other side of the door. "...Forget you heard that."

"You know I mean well, Tee. It's all good!" Violet giggled warmly.

"Yeah, I know," Tips chuckled back.

"Thanks for the late night service."

Her friend hummed in confirmation before getting to work.

Violet turned back to focus on Cobalt, noticing he'd been silently chuckling to himself this whole time. "We poke fun at each other," she added with a smirk.

"I can see that," the Riolu responded, his laughter dying down. "Are you good friends?"

"She's great!" Violet explained. "I come here all the time when I'm back from adventuring and such. Plus, she's a _great_ cook too."

"That's certainly music to my ears! It feels like I haven't eaten anything in forever." Cobalt rubbed his belly in anticipation.

"The Sitrus berries?" Violet looked at him as if he had forgotten.

"...Something _substantial,_ " he corrected.

"Hey! Those aren't cheap you know!" Violet looked at him in slight annoyance. "I spent a lot of money on those. You could at least be thankful."

"I am," Cobalt confirmed. "I'm just saying that it wasn't exactly a satisfying meal."

Violet looked forward, deep in thought. "Fine, fair enough, but I believe you promised me some answers?"

Cobalt adjusted himself in his seat. "Right. I suppose I should start with the amnesia thing? Uh, basically, I don't really have much knowledge besides basic things. Like, I know what a Vulpix and Riolu are… clearly."

Violet took a moment to think before responding. "Hmm, I see. You're missing your memories, but not your knowledge..." she hummed, digesting this information. "Strange. Usually amnesia would entail losing more than just that."

"It's so outlandish, I know," Cobalt defended. "It makes sense not to trust me, I get it. But if I wanted to hurt you, I would've just ganged up with the other guys."

"Hmm, that's true…" Violet stared down at her paws as she thought it over. "I suppose you're cool in my book. Just… odd, and a little reckless I guess. Er, odd in a good way, I mean. Like a mystery book."

"Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes at the comparison, but silently, he was glad that she at least _somewhat_ trusted him. "I guess I'm just… kind of at a loss of what to do? I have nothing. I mean, look at me. I was all beat up and tossed into the sand. So… yeah. That's pretty much all I can tell you, really." Cobalt tapped his fingers against the counter, trying to remember something more.

Before he could get anywhere, however, the doors to the kitchen burst open. Tips entered-her face emotionless and completely blank. She was in an incredible state of concentration as she brought out food and drink for her guests without so much as her paws shaking. "Eat up!" the small panda announced, plopping down in a chair with an exhausted sigh. "Phew. Takes a lot out of me to do that!"

Cobalt's mouth watered at the delicious looking salad in front of him. Looking to Violet, only to discover she was already tearing through it with blinding speed. He immediately and ravenously dug in with glee, as they both felt the edge of their hunger fading fast as they chowed down on their respective meals.

"Glad you're enjoying it!" Tips cheered with a smile. "Consider it a treat for getting into the Guild, Violet!"

The Vulpix stopped her assault, looking up slowly at her friend. There was a bit of awkwardness between them. Violet swallowed her mouthful and responded in a quiet tone of voice, her ears lay flat against her head. "Uh actually I… didn't… get in. I uh, I chickened out…" Cobalt could tell that Tips had pinched a rather sensitive nerve by accident with her kind gesture.

"Oh," the Spinda responded flatly. A few seconds went by with nothing happening, aside from Cobalt eating his food in awkward silence. "S-so… uhhhhh… where did you meet your friend…?"

"Cobalt," he answered, muffled by mouthfuls of sweet berries and fresh greens.

"Right, Cobalt," Tips replied, thankful for the save, "Where did you two meet?"

"Oh you know, just uh… at the beach… and… stuff." Violet looked down at her food in silent shame.

"Her bag got stolen," Cobalt responded, covering for her. "I helped her get it back."

"Oh! How kind of you!" Tips sat up in her seat, her peppiness returning in full force. "Tell me all about it, you two!"

Violet took a deep breath and shifted her focus over to the new topic, breaking out of her gloomy mood slowly. "Well, I was down at the beach in the evening as usual, when all of a sudden I saw this Riolu passed out in the sand."

Tips' eyes went wide. "What?! You were unconscious when she found you?" she hopped up onto her knees in her seat, pointing, with some difficulty, in Cobalt's direction.

"Yeah, I was. Violet helped me out by giving me some berries," he answered, taking a swig from his drink.

"But how did you get there in the first place? And if her bag was stolen how did she have a berry?"

"I was getting to that," Violet chimed in, drawing the attention of the conversation back to her. "As it turns out, Cobalt can't remember anything before the moment I woke him up on the beach."

"Because of the bandits that stole your bag?"

Both of the storytellers looked at each other-they hadn't considered that. "No, I don't think so," Violet responded after a moment. "They didn't seem to recognize him at all. I think they had just shown up on the scene after I met him."

"Oooooh, I see. So you two were probably just talking and then they swooped in when you were distracted?" Tips guessed.

"Yeah, pretty much," Cobalt admitted, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "We were… pretty wrapped up in what was going on. But we managed to find them and get the bag back! With style, I might add!" Cobalt exclaimed with pride.

"Yeah, we did. After that we left, and he hadn't eaten anything at all, so we came here," Violet elaborated, finishing the story.

"That's great! But I have a question," Tips announced. Cobalt and Violet both turned to look at her before she spoke, "What are you going to do now, Cobalt?"

Cobalt's eyebrows raised up as he took a deep breath, genuinely at a loss for what to do next. "I didn't really think about that… I don't know, to be honest." He scratched the side of his neck lightly in thought.

Violet looked over at him with concern. "Right, you don't exactly have anywhere to go."

"Well, if you need a place to stay, you can always rent out—oh wait," Tips realized what she was saying. "You don't have any money on you, do you?" Cobalt shook his head. Her eyes flicked between the two of them, then down to the floor in thought, narrowing in concentration. "Oh! I have an idea!" Both of her guests turned to face her.

Capturing their attention, Tips took a deep breath and started talking. "I guess I should explain something to you Cobalt. I'm sure you know what a Mystery Dungeon is, after your little adventure back there. But, as of late, things have been getting a lot more dangerous: Pokémon are going missing left and right, Mystery Dungeons are getting longer, and the Pokémon found inside are getting stronger. That's why Violet was trying to get into the nearby Guild—it's a lot safer to be travelling in groups than alone. However, if you two were to work together, you'd both have a much better chance of staying safe than going alone."

"I'm not inviting some guy I just met back to my house, Tee!" Violet scoffed.

"I know, I know! What I'm thinking is… you two partner up, and in return for keeping my friend safe, I'll let Cobalt stay here, free of charge!" she declared.

"Free food and housing? No complaints here! I'm in, for sure!" Cobalt answered eagerly.

"I don't know… it's rather sudden." Violet trailed off.

"Well, seeing as how you were rejected from the guild, I think this is a great way to still chase your dream, no?" Tips pointed out.

Violet looked up at the ceiling, contemplating everything. She _did_ have a point… "You don't know anything about the world and need a place to stay; I need to be able to be able to keep exploring." She closed her eyes, mulling it over. After a few moments, she finally responded, "I'm in." All three parties involved shook paws, agreeing to the deal.

"Excellent! I'll go get your room ready, Cobalt. Violet, you best be heading home now." Tips hopped out of her seat, performing her signature "waltz" as she hobbled off towards the bedrooms.

"Right." Violet finished the rest of her food before grabbing her bag and hopping back down onto the floor, with Cobalt following suit. She headed to the door and pushed it open, the nighttime sea air rushing in as she stepped out onto the porch.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" Cobalt asked, leaning against the frame of the door.

"Yeah, I'll swing by to pick you up in the morning. I'll think of what to do before then, for now, get some rest okay?"

"Oh yeah, don't you worry. I'm _very_ tired," Cobalt confessed with laughter.

Violet laughed as well. "Alright then, just don't sleep in and we're good. I'll see you in the morning." And with that, the two exchanged goodbyes and she went off into the night.

"Alright, Cobalt! Your room is ready! Last door to the right. Get to sleep and I'll make something to eat in the morning, sound good?" Tips called from the staircase, holding onto the railing for support. Cobalt nodded at her and climbed up the stairs, heading towards his room—a small place, fitting in with the style of the rest of the building.

He climbed into the soft bed he was given and sat up, looking out the window into the starry sky. He got one last look at the full moon before exhaustion overtook him and he laid down to rest.

 **END CHAPTER THREE**


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: Last Night; First Day

* * *

It was a rather slow night on the farm, which Tropius welcomed warmly. The work for the day had been done in record time, and so he found it pertinent to give his farmhands some rest. He quietly relaxed in the cool night breeze on the porch of his large, two story home. He was overlooking the fields he and his workers had toiled over during the day.

"Boss? Boss!" A Lurantis called to him, running up the steps in a hurry.

Tropius rose to his feet and responded slowly and calmly, "What is it? It's rather late you know, I was enjoying some peace and quiet."

"S-sorry boss, it's just… I lost my charm," Lurantis panicked, looking around with a frenetic aura. "I can't find it anywhere!"

"Come now, you believe in those bedtime stories?" The wood creaked under the large Pokémon as he lumbered over to his friend. "They are meant to teach us lessons at a young age, and nothing more."

"No, that's not it! It was something I found in a dungeon..." Lurantis trailed off wistfully.

"Oh? When you went out exploring the other day, I assume?"

"It's all I could find," she explained, "I don't get the chance to go all that often… Please, do you know where it is?"

"I'm afraid I don't. Have you asked the others?"

"Yes, and they don't know where it is either!" Lurantis exclaimed as she paced around with a nervous energy. "Do you think they took it?"

Tropius firmly shut her down, "No, Dartrix may be young and Simisage may be irritable, but neither of them are criminals. I think it may have just come off when you were working in the fields. Tomorrow, I'll give you time to look for it before we get to work, alright?"

Lurantis nods and sighs with relief, while it might not have solved her problem, his help has calmed her down considerably. "You're the best, boss! But, uh, can I… sleep in the guest room of the big house? Sorry, it's just…"

Tropius nodded, "You don't want to be alone? I understand. Sleep there if it will help."

"I'll make sure to go get some rest right now so I can get to searching early and not waste time!"

Tropius chuckled, "Alright, I'll make sure to get some rest of my own before then."

"Good night, boss!" Lurantis shouted, heading towards her room for the night.

"Good night, Lurantis." Tropius called back, before sitting back down where he was before and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Cobalt rubbed his eyes and yawned, silently complaining that he hardly got enough sleep to be comfortable. Violet had made a point of heading out early in the morning in order to get a head start—much to his vehement protesting. But, she insisted nonetheless.

"Violettt, what are we even doooiiinnnggg here," Cobalt whined. "It's like… actually I don't know what time it is, but it's too damn early for whatever you want to do!"

"Oh come on, show some more pep than that! You were all for this last night!" Violet snickered.

"Yeah, because I thought you were a reasonable Vulpix who woke up at a reasonable time!" he huffed in annoyance.

"You should get used to waking up early, it's good for you, or something like that."

He glared at her and groaned, "Yeah, yeah, mess with me all you want, can you at least tell me what we're even _doing_?"

"Two things: We need to get you a bag, and I need to restock on food; those two assholes ate every berry and apple in my bag."

"We could have done that in the afternoon…" Cobalt complained, walking alongside Violet before they came to a stop in front of a market.

"We need time to be able to find work for the day. Now quit your complaining and come here," Violet called, pulling a small, jingling pouch from her bag with her teeth. She sat it down in front of him. "Here's 200 Poké. Go into that store and get yourself a bag—nothing too fancy—any old bag will do. I'm gonna get some food from the mart next door."

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit." Cobalt scooped up the coins and headed into the shop.

"Yeah," Violet affirmed. "I won't take long, and I'll meet you back out here once I get everything I need." With that, she walked into the market.

Cobalt padded into the tailor shop. He searched but couldn't find anyone-not even the owner. Curious, he decided to take a look around at the various goods that stocked the shelves and racks of the store in the meantime. " _The owner is probably fussing with merchandise in the back,_ " he reckoned. " _I can take a look around. Violet won't be ready for a little while… I wonder if I could find a place to nap…"_ he mused idly. He passed by cloaks and coats, but a bright orange bandana caught his eye. It complimented his fur nicely, and felt nice and smooth in his paws as he inspected it, looking for a price tag. "That'll be 25 Poké," a voice called out from behind, startling the young jackal. A Leavanny looked at him from behind her counter on the other side of the room, smiling.

"Ah, thanks," he responded, placing the scarf back in its place. "But I need a bag, actually."

"I should have something that will fit you!" the shop owner exclaimed, eager to make a sale. "Feel free to check out the merchandise in the meantime!" she called out from behind her desk. Cobalt continued to look the scarf over, before deciding to try it on. Coincidentally, Leavanny just so happened to finish up with finding the bag right after he put it on. "Why, that looks great on you! Are you thinking of buying it and the bag?"

"Well, it does look nice…" he murmured, trying on the bag. "That fits well, too. Thank you." he rubbed the scarf between his fingers idly. "Alright, I'll take it and the bag, too."

"That'll be 150 Poké." Cobalt handed over 15 silver coins before waving goodbye as he exited the store.

* * *

Violet sat down, waiting for Cobalt—who hopefully had purchased just a bag and not a whole outfit in its place. She quietly chuckled a bit at the thought of Cobalt walking out of the store in the somewhat overkill clothes Leavanny made. To both her relief and disappointment, however, he came out with only a simple brown bag and an orange scarf. "Huh," she mused.

"Oh, uh, right. Sorry, I got a scarf, too," Cobalt apologized.

"No, no, it's fine. Looks good on you," she complimented. Cobalt beamed in pride upon hearing this, which made him nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise as a giant thundering crash came from the side of the grocery. Violet's tail tips merely twitched. She knew of only one clutz capable of this level of havoc. "Hi Tee," she greeted.

"Why hello there, Violet! Cobalt too, nice scarf, that's a good color for you!" the small panda remarked, seeming no worse for wear despite leaning against the wall of the building upside down. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Only peace and quiet," Violet quipped, "But you're usually busy with customers in the morning, aren't you?"

"Usually, you'd be right! But as it turns out, I knocked over my last jars of berry jam last night!" she chuckled, seemingly not all too bothered.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Cobalt replied.

"Oh please, it's no trouble! I just need to see if the store has any in stock." Tips responded modestly.

"Hmm, I don't believe I saw any when I was in there myself. You don't usually buy it here, do you? I thought you bought it directly from a farm?" Violet tilted her head as she investigated further.

"Yeah, usually, but today I'm suffering a bit of a dizzy spell!" Tips clarified. Cobalt's ears twitched in disbelief. He was unconvinced that dizziness was a major concern for her. "I'd take days to get there, so I thought I'd check is all." That much, however, he did believe.

"How about we go get some for you then? I bet we can make the trip there and back in less than a day," Violet offered.

Cobalt nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! It sounds like a good way to see the world." Violet hummed in agreement.

"Oh! That would be splendid!" Tips replied with peppiness as she finally sat up straight. "It's Tropius's farm. You know the way, Violet?"

"Yep. That's not far at all. Come on Cobalt, let's get a head start so we can be back by lunch," Violet remarked, rising to her paws before heading off. Cobalt waved goodbye before sprinting over to catch up with his teammate.

* * *

The big hill on the way to the farm was rather taxing to climb for Violet. Her calves ached from the long journey, and she panted softly as they worked their way up. She looked to see how Cobalt was holding up, and was somewhat annoyed to see him leisurely keeping pace beside her as if this was a walk in the park. "You know, it just hit me… we didn't ask Tee for the money to get the food." Cobalt stated, facepalming. Violet closed her eyes, whining up to the sky. She forgot the most important part of this whole operation.

"Ugh, fuck it, let's at least see if we can get an I.O.U or something," she groaned, clearly upset at the fact that there would be taking more than one trip. "Whatever, at least we can get something to eat and drink at the farm."

"Don't you have stuff in your bag?" Cobalt inquired.

"Yes, but I'd like to save it for when we need it," Violet responded.

"...I mean, we're both hungry now…" Cobalt trailed off, rubbing his stomach.

"You can wait until we get there to eat, Cobalt. I don't want to waste what I _just_ bought," Violet asserted with an annoyed look. "Besides, you could have gotten some food with the money I gave you."

"I spent it on the bag."

"Oh? The scarf was on the house?" Violet snarked back.

"You said that it looks cool!" Cobalt looked at her with annoyance and confusion.

"It was a good purchase, sure, but you still wasted money on it," Violet stated, turning her attention back to the road. "I'm just saying, you should have thought about what you needed not what you wanted."

Cobalt grumbled and stuffed the cloth into his bag in embarrassment. "You didn't even tell me I could go get something from the food store!"

"Am I the boss of you?" Violet questioned rhetorically, "I just told you what I thought was best. If you want to get food, say so. I'm not _controlling_ you or something, we're supposed to be working together after all. If I was controlling you, you'd be working for me, not with me."

"...So you're saying that you aren't gonna be telling me what to do and that I'm allowed to make my own choices?" Cobalt put together what she had been saying over the course of the conversation.

Violet nodded. "Yes, that's what I just said."

Cobalt huffed in frustration, "Open with that next time, sheesh. You made it sound so mean spirited."

"Sorry, I do think it's a cool scarf. I'll give you time to get stuff before we leave on jobs," Violet apologized. "But for now, let's get the job done."

"Mhm, right," Cobalt nodded, returning his focus back towards their current goal. The ground started to level out under them. "It was just across the hill, right?" Cobalt queried.

"Yep, we're almost there."

Cobalt cheered and raced forward, eager to see what lay ahead. Violet chuckled; he was so unlike any other Riolu—he constantly expressed emotions and was quite energetic. It was almost unreal to see one act in such a lively manner. She couldn't help but watch as he ran forward with a big smile, and noticed immediately when it stopped and Cobalt stood still.

"Cobalt? What's going on?" Violet questioned, her eyes narrowed-this wasn't normal, something was wrong. "Cobalt?" She sprinted up to him, looking out over the hilltop towards the farm. She shouted in fear and surprise, taken aback by the sight before her.

The house was riddled with holes seared into its various walls. Shattered glass and broken window frames lay strewn lifelessly across the ground. The front porch had been sliced cleanly in two, and the walls along it had huge, gaping holes punched straight through them. Large swaths of the fields were stripped bare and the earth looked torn up. The large barn's roof had collapsed in on itself, and a silent stillness filled the air in the morning sun. Neither Pokémon said a word, as they anxiously stood before the carnage before them, silently wondering what to do next.

 **END CHAPTER FOUR**


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five: The First Major Test of Strength

* * *

 **Authors' Note: Here we are! The end of the first wave of chapters! Buckle up, this one is longer than the others (it's probably not too much longer, but fair warning regardless). It'll be a little bit before another chapter comes out. We're taking some time off from production, but we'll be back in full swing soon. With that said, I hope you all enjoy!**

It was fair to say that Violet was beyond shocked at the sight before her. Yesterday was filled with a lot of abnormal events, but nothing that reached the caliber of a decimated farmstead. Her mind was racing. She had no idea of what to do, and looked up to the sky, deep in thought. She turned to Cobalt, whether for advice, out of concern, or both, she did not know.

His face was full of concern and fear. His mind was racing. He had no idea what was going on, and was nervously looking down at the ruined building. But his face grew serious—someone could be hurt, or even trapped. He set aside his fears, clenched his fists, and took a step forward.

"No!" Violet cried out, moving forward to block his path, "Don't even think about it! We don't know what's down there, or if it's safe!"

"Someone could be in danger!"

"We can get help from the guild, they'll know what to do. We can count on them to get this done." Violet nodded to herself as she spoke, assuring that this was the best thing to do.

"That would take too long!" Cobalt tried to move past her, but she blocked the way, crouched down before him.

"It's not about how long it takes, it's about staying alive!" Violet hissed, "The smart decision is to go get help and let them handle it."

Cobalt pushed past her and walked away defiantly, "Well go ahead! I'm not the boss of you. If we don't act now, either way, it'll be too late," Cobalt replied, "So...?"

"As if I have a choice! I'm not gonna let you go alone and get yourself killed," Violet huffed, following her partner down the hillside. "Okay… if we're going to do this, we need to at least have _some sort of plan."_

"Of course we need a fucking plan! I'm not stupid, Violet!" Cobalt barked, "We're gonna keep out of the open as much as possible. It's just a quick sweep—go in and look for anyone we can easily rescue. After that, we rush back to town _and_ get others to help investigate. Now, let's get in closer to the main building."

"To get in close to use your Aura more effectively?"

"No. I can't do that."

Violet gave him an incredulous stare.

"What?"

"You're a fucking Riolu!"

Cobalt sighed. "Yes, I'm a Riolu, but consider, I don't know how to use it. You know? The whole lost memory thing?"

"Great. This is a perfect plan," Violet deadpanned with a frustrated sigh, "I can't possibly see this going wrong."

Cobalt rolled his eyes and sighed, "Did it ever occur to you that, since this place was clearly inhabited, there might be a way to call for help?"

"Well, I guess…" Violet mused to herself, while Cobalt silently hopped up onto the railing of the porch and then dove into the desolate building's porch-side window frame. He opened the door and beckoned Violet in, and, after a moment of considering things, she joined him with a running start and a smooth landing. The inside mirrored the outside. A lot of scarring and scorch marks littered the walls, and the staircase leading to the second floor was completely torn to shreds. The lights were dark, and the house felt stagnant and stale.

"Kitchen," Cobalt quietly murmured, before padding his way over to the room. Violet watched him go, and, as he disappeared into the room, she couldn't help but focus on the eerie whistling of the howling wind as it blew through the holes in the walls. She found herself feeling a little uneasy, and moved to follow Cobalt. But then, she heard something in the distance. The sounds of crops rustling. She raced over to a window frame that overlooked the fields and her eyes widened, something was rapidly moving around within the remaining crops.

Violet raced over to Cobalt and found him staring out of a huge gaping hole in the back wall. Another hole was torn straight through the barn behind it. "I didn't even know it was this bad! You couldn't see it from up on the hill," Cobalt commented.

"I saw something move in the fields," Violet whispered, "Let's find a way to get upstairs. I want to get a better look."

Cobalt nodded, and pointed to scattered feathers strewn about the room, murmuring, "Someone was here."

Violet narrowed her eyes in thought. "Those look like Dartrix feathers, but I haven't seen anyone downstairs." Cobalt nodded and pointed to the ceiling—upstairs was the safest bet. They headed over to the broken staircase and sat there, trying to think of what to do, though Cobalt was the first to act. He crouched down and leapt straight up into the air. Banking on the natural speed and power of his species, Cobalt swung his paws to grab onto the second story as he neared it, though he found it started to get smaller rather rapidly instead. He then, in about as much time as he put into thinking of the plan, clattered to the ground and broke through the weakened flooring below, smashing into the foundation. He did not clear the jump. "Ow," he groaned pathetically as he crawled out of the hole he had just made. He admitted defeat and moved to the side to let Violet give it a try, but only after she quietly laughed to herself, much to Cobalt's chagrin.

Instead of trying that, however, Violet took the smarter route. She opened up the closets of the house until she found a suitable ladder for her needs. Cobalt, getting where she was coming from, picked it up and placed it down against the wall, the hole he made complicating matters. He climbed up and jumped across the hole while Violet held the ladder steady. After he got to the top, Violet pushed the ladder over on its side. The lip of the second floor caught the top of the ladder, and Violet climbed it to the top as Cobalt held it steady.

"Not bad," Violet mused.

"Yeah," Cobalt admitted, "We aren't that bad of a team when we try."

"Indeed, now, come on," Violet mewed, but before she could continue, a groan came from around the corner. Cobalt crouched low to the ground and sidled down the wall of the room; Violet stalked behind him. Inside the room was a Dartrix who was curled up and shaking on a mattress. He nearly jumped out of his skin upon seeing the duo staring him down, but calmed once he recognized they weren't trying to kill him.

"O-oh Arceus! F-finally, someone showed up!" the Dartrix wailed, sitting up properly to greet his rescuers.

Violet noticed something. His left wing had been torn up heavily. Violet opened her pack of supplies and set to work—getting him bandaged up and taken care of right away. "Easy there, I'll see what I can do to get you fixed up," Violet started with a cool, gentle tone, "Cobalt, talk to him while I work on this."

Cobalt was unsure of how to get information out of this Dartrix without overwhelming him all at once. He decided to start with a classic, and calmly asked, "What were you doing here?"

"I-I work… worked. Worked here on the farm," the Dartrix corrected himself, "Worked with Lurantis, Simisage, and our boss, Tropius. I was out in the fields with Simisage and noticed that Lurantis and the boss were not coming out to the fields as usual. I went to check, and I found them...fighting. Savagely. Boss was trying to protect himself, but Lurantis had this… feverish look about her. I tried to help him, but I got overwhelmed quickly, and ran up the stairs in a fright. After that, well…" he trailed off, the evidence of what came from that was painfully obvious.

"Right, what happened after that?"

"Lurantis blew the boss straight through the wall and into the barn, and was about to kill me," Dartrix continued, "Before Simisage surprised her from behind and drew her attention away. I managed to crawl into this bed before you all showed up. I don't know what happened after that. All I know is I heard shouting and screaming from out in the fields. That wasn't too long ago, and I think Lurantis might be on her way back."

" _Shit, that must have been what Violet saw,_ "He thanked Dartrix for the debriefing. They needed a way to get help and fast. "Is there any way for us to call for help?"

Violet finished her work of stopping the bleeding and let Dartrix respond to Cobalt's question. Dartrix winced and he shifted on the bed and pointed towards three small buildings on the other side of the clearing. "My sister… she works at the guild in town. She gave me a badge in case I needed to call for help. It's in my shack, off with the others. You need to go now. I don't think we have much longer."

"She works for the guild? Fantastic, that makes this so much easier!" Violet's spirits lifted, before she raced back down the ramp. "Cobalt!" she shouted, "Come on!" Her partner wasted no time in sliding down the ramp and leaping out the hole in the wall in a mad dash for the shacks. The rustling grew louder and closer; Lurantis had noticed them now. "Go search that one!" Violet screamed, sprinting to the shack right next to his as fast as her legs could carry.

Cobalt rushed inside the small building and frantically searched all the shelves and drawers for the button, but found nothing like what Dartrix described. A loud roar echoed through the silent clearing, causing his anxiety to spike. He looked around in a panic, before his eyes snagged sight of a messenger bag in the corner. He tore through its contents. Another explosive seed like before, a few apples and two blueberries. He shook it up and down vigorously, before giving up and throwing it against the bed, when all of a sudden, a small object came tumbling out. Cobalt rushed over to pick it up, and found a small, greenish-yellow feather attached to some beads on a string. Cobalt didn't have time to question what it might be, and shoved all the contents of the bag into his own and rushed back outside to check the final shack.

"Stop! I found it! Come here!" Violet called out to Cobalt, who quickly skid to a stop and scrambled into the building as fast as he could. She was on the bed, sitting before a small circular badge with wings and a central button that was currently pushed in. He heard the sound of static before a serious, professional voice spoke to them.

"This is the Treasure Town emergency hotline, please state where you are and what your request is."

"Violet, I'm a Vulpix that lives in town and was visiting Tropius's farm with a friend when one of the workers went crazy and ended up attacking some of the farmhands! She's coming towards us, you need to hurry!"

"Got it, we're dispatching someone right away. Hold out for five minutes, she should be there soon," the voice stated, before the static cut out. Cobalt and Violet looked at each other and nodded, they needed to stand their ground and wait for reinforcements. Dartrix was counting on them to pull through, and, as they looked at one another, they recognized the situation they were in. They were counting on each other as well. While they may not get along completely, they had to try their best. Together, they stepped outside and stood tall on their side of the clearing, waiting for the enemy to appear.

"Of the relevant stuff I found, I got a blast seed and some blueberries," Cobalt commented, keeping his eyes squarely on the fields ahead.

The crops rustled, the screeching was even louder than before.

"Oran berries," Violet informed him, "They'll stimulate your healing factor at the cost of draining your energy. Use them wisely."

The field was being sliced down left and right.

"Got anything for range?" Cobalt asked, stretching out as they waited for their opponent to show up.

Violet handed him three more blast seeds. "I've got fire. These are for you, it'll help against the Lurantis. Oh, and this," Violet rolled a bottle with a white label across the floor to him, "Drink it along with the berry. It'll give you a boost in energy to make up for the Orans."

Cobalt stuffed the goodies away in a rush. "You'll stay back and I'll get in close?"

"That's right." Violet stated.

"Alright, I'm counting on you."

"So am I."

The conversation ended there, as the duo finally saw their target break through the crop barrier and enter the clearing.

The Lurantis was much taller than both of them, and had an air of malice around her. From the blood on her pincers, and crazed look in her eyes, they both got the feeling that this wasn't going to be anything like their fight at the cave. Cobalt wasted no time in racing off towards her in a large arc, giving Violet ample space to use her larger blasts more freely. The Lurantis bared her mandibles and sped towards him in return, the tips of her pincers glowing with a bright energy. A thin stream of flames cut off her forward momentum and forced her to skid to a stop, causing her to lose sight of the Riolu in that moment. She turned towards the source of the flames-the tips of her pincers flashed with an unnatural energy.

A bright flash of light erupted from her pincers as twin beams of solar energy seared straight through the air. Violet leapt to the side and the beams missed the mark. They tore into the shack behind her, and continued on for a solid fifty meters. Violet scrambled to her paws, afraid of another incoming attack. The Lurantis adjusted her aim in return; Cobalt sent an uppercut straight to the side of her face to send her stumbling backward.

Cobalt clenched his wrist and cried out in pain-her carapace was harder than he expected. All his uppercut had done was merely get her pissed off. Nevertheless, he pressed the attack. His danger-sense was tingling, and he rolled to the side of a pincer thrust straight into the dirt where he had been a second prior. He hadn't even the time to properly react, and, if his foresight hadn't stepped in, he would have been speared through then and there. He stepped forward and delivered a blindingly fast punch straight to her side, but the same thing happened. He bounced off rather harmlessly, his fist aching horribly. He grit his teeth and ducked down as Lurantis lashed out in a large horizontal arc, he felt the edge snag on one of his ears and took a sharp breath in. He lost focus for a second, and Lurantis brought her pincers down to strike, before being blasted with a flamethrower. It was a direct hit, thanks to his distractions, and the Lurantis shrieked out in pain and rage. Cobalt was shielded from the fire by her body and was ecstatic to finally see her react heavily. Violet gasped for breath as the spout of flames died, and he reengaged the Lurantis.

She was furious, and lashed out at him with a straight jab using her right pincer. Cobalt unable to dodge such a sudden move at such a close range, he held out his forearms, braced diagonal to the thrust, and sent it scraping off of his arms to the side with the metal contacts on his arms. Thinking quickly, Cobalt stepped forward past her dangerous pincers and swung his arms in a savage arc, smashing his blunt, metal protrusions straight into the Lurantis' sides. The sound of a cracking shell and another shriek of pain told him that he had done well, and he grinned at finally getting a solid hit in. However, as he tried to remove his arms from her sides, he found them lodged into the sides of her body. He tried to rip himself free, but a pincer managed to snag onto one of his legs. With a mighty roar, the Lurantis spun around and sent him flying across the clearing. Violet screamed out to Cobalt as he went flying. He tumbled through the air, on a collision course with the large house. He grit his teeth in anticipation, hugged his bag, and curled up to protect the fragile objects inside. Cobalt tore straight through the weak, wooden walls in his way. He tumbled to a stop in the kitchen, dazed and left reeling from the force of the impact.

Dartrix shouted to him, "Holy shit! Are you okay?!"

"N-no..." Cobalt groaned weakly, "...But I got some meds." He pulled out some of the oran berries in his bag and stuffed them into his mouth.

"You got your ass handed to you out there! Are you really going back now?"

"I'm not going to let Violet die! I have to try something!" he shouted back, rising to his feet as he heard the sounds of fighting outside.

"Wait!" Dartrix squawked, stopping Cobalt in his tracks, "There's something in the cupboards that you can use!"

Violet shouted out, horrified to see her partner take such a brutal hit, before the Lurantis turned to face her. She panted in exhaustion and pointed one pincer directly at Violet and raised the other as a shield of defense, slowly creeping forward. Violet slowly backed up, and took a moment to think. Cobalt would be okay, he had the Oran berries on him. She couldn't focus on that now, she needed to protect herself first. They had spent maybe all of two minutes fighting Lurantis, and still needed to hold out for a bit longer. Her opponent wasn't firing beams anymore, maybe she was too exhausted to do it again? Regardless, she was still a dangerous threat. Violet sent small blasts of fire towards Lurantis—simple potshots to keep her busy. She just needed to stall for time, that's all. Lurantis blocked them with her thick shield, showing no signs of damage.

Violet's opponent started to rush at her, not willing to give her a second chance at firing off another strong blast. Violet concentrated in front of her, waiting for her opponent to be just a little bit closer. Once Lurantis was about five meters away, Violet's eyes flashed with an eerie light, and a ball of energy radiated and pulsed at a confusing, rapid pace that disoriented her assailant. Violet blasted herself up into the air, vaulting and twisting around her opponent, before delivering another powerful, fiery blast from point-blank range. Violet was elated. However, to her surprise, she saw glistening within the flames. She sidestepped rapidly as a thin beam of light scraped against the side of her head. She yowled out in pain and scrambled away in fear. Lurantis had used her shield to block at the last moment, only the lower half of her carapace was charred. Though, in the spots Cobalt had cracked, she seemed to be seared heavily. Lurantis was before her in a second with murder in her eyes, poised to strike straight into Violet's body, before an explosion sent her flying off towards the fields.

Violet looked off towards the house and saw Cobalt smash a small glass bottle with an orange label against the ground. He wiped his mouth on the back of his paws, cracked his knuckles and took off running low to the ground towards Lurantis. He sent blast seeds flying through the air to keep her busy as he closed the gap between them. Lurantis was forced to tank the blows with her pincer shields, but the force of the blasts managed to finally break her guard and left her wide open. In this moment, Cobalt got in close. His opponent hastily thrust her pincers out in a jab, but Cobalt had anticipated this. He flipped around to the side and dodged the attack before grabbing onto both of her pincers with an iron grip. In an instant, he shifted his footing and positioned her directly behind his back, standing squarely on the ground. He arched his back, put one paw under her pincers and another near the tip for leverage, and lurched forward, pulling her up and over his shoulders with an adrenaline filled cry, and flipped her up and around in the air to slam her down on the ground before him. She smashed into the dirt with a hearty thwack, stunned from the force of the throw. Cobalt leapt backwards, and with blood roaring in his ears, screamed at the top of his lungs, "Shoot, _**NOW!**_ "

Violet rapidly spun a fiery vortex around the Lurantis and kept her pinned down on the ground. Violet had trapped Lurantis in a flaming prison, allowing the two to recollect themselves as they stood together and looked down on their opponent, panting with exhaustion. Help couldn't be more than thirty seconds away. As Cobalt took a moment to recollect himself, he was able to focus on his surroundings once more. The instant he did, his Aura Sensors shot up—something huge was coming. He moved to warn Violet, but a huge, chaotic swirling of leaves erupted from the field crops behind Lurantis and shot straight towards her victims. The violent winds slammed into both of her targets like a ton of bricks; the razor edges of the leaves cut them over and over in an endless assault. Howling out in pain, they crashed into the dirt. The furious blizzard died down as both of them lay in the middle of the clearing, bruised, bloodied, and beaten.

Lurantis rushed forward, eager to finally end the fight. However, before she could get far, a hail of arrows rained down on the mantis, piercing through her tough armor with ease. Over and over, she let out an ear piercing screech. She strained to rise back up to her feet but found it impossible to move—a whole tangled mess of ghostly chains kept her from moving at all. In an instant, a Decidueye disappeared and reappeared right before her, staring down at Lurantis who cried out violently and strained against the chains holding her down. The Decidueye narrowed her eyes, and, in the blink of an eye, loosed three arrows straight into Lurantis's throat to make sure she wouldn't get back up for good. After the life left the mantis' eyes, and she confirmed her kill, Decidueye turned around and looked at the destroyed battlefield, picked up Cobalt and Violet, and went searching for her brother.

 **END CHAPTER FIVE**


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